PRODUCT REVIEW: Roam (DVD)

Inspired by TheBikingHub's review of Off Road To Athens, I thought I would share my thoughts on Roam, the newest mountain biking DVD from The Collective. I picked up Roam a few months ago when I was grabbing a new pair of shoes (as I left my at home before my hour plus drive). I had heard a lot about it, but had missed the premeire at both Sea Otter and in Granite Bay. I figured with my travel schedule, it'd be better to have on DVD anyway.

Roam is a collection of eight vignettes, each highlighting a different venue and riding style, filmed in the most imaginative ways possible:

• Singletrack in Sun Valley, Idaho
• Whistler Bike Park
• Urban/Trials in Prague
• All Mountain in Morocco
• Dirt Jump in Jodie Lunn's backyard (British Columbia)
• Slickrock in Moab
• North Shore stunt riding in Vancouver
• Back country on Vancouver Island
  

From a cinematography point of view, this has to be the best mountain bike film ever made. The scenes are lush, the picture crisp and the angles imaginative. The filmers have done a great job of alternatively catching the up close intensity of the riders along with panoramic vista of the the terrain they are riding.

As each of the vignettes can more or less stand on their own, you can skip around the DVD catching the riding styles that you like the most. Being a trail / XC kinda of rider, I enjoyed the Sun Valley singletrack and Moab chapters the best. However, the Whistler downhill section should get anyone going. However, the trials/urban and moracco scenes can drag (even with the incredible views of Prague). There is also substantial bonus materials on the DVD: "making of", outtakes and crashes plus some vendor features.

Overall, this DVD is well worth the money. I have probably watched it four or five times all the way through, and pop it into my player to catch specific segment before many of my rides. I even bring it along on my business trips. You can see a preview of Roam here. Y0u can order Roam online or through your local bike store (I got mine up at Cambria Bicycle Emporium in Auburn, CA).